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Read All About It! AMS News and Local Updates

Keeping our Promises: Diversity and Inclusion at AMS

September 25, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #6

September 17, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #4

September 15, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #5

September 9, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #3

September 8, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #2

August 26, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #1

August 20, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #3

August 19, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #2

August 12, 2020

Contrats!! Director of Facilities & Director of VAS

August 6, 2020

Welcome to AMS: Tony Shepherd and Lisa Michelle Zeta

July 30, 2020

September 25, 2020

Keeping our Promises: Diversity and Inclusion at AMS

In early June of this year AMS employees felt the need to do something in response to the horrific murder of George Floyd. Encouraged and supported by management, employees organized an event… a March for Peace, Diversity and Inclusivity. This march took place on June 11th. It was a great success, and also an inspiring one. AMS Chief Workforce Development Officer, Ken Wiseman, spoke to the crowd and made the following commitment: “Acceptance of a diverse and inclusive workplace will be a condition of being in this family.” Ken promised renewed and expanded diversity and inclusion efforts at AMS.

It has now been more than three months since that day. On September 15 a second meeting with employees was held in which Ken spoke about the inspiring and ambitious initiatives that AMS has undertaken. Here below are some excerpts from his speech:

Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast: “One of the first changes we made was to start having our Breakfast meetings during the start of the workday, as a paid meeting, not before. We are not inclusive when we have meetings that prohibit many from the opportunity to attend.”

Learning Opportunities: “Learning Opportunities at AMS need to be more conveniently offered. Single moms or dads, those with commute challenges, or even those that may have 2nd jobs, are often excluded from pre or after work educational opportunities. Allowing for more work-day learning opportunities makes us more inclusive in our efforts to help our team develop valuable skills.”

Empathy, Respect, Trigger and Action plan: “We learned that our ‘I want to be a Leader’ and our ‘Advanced Leadership’ classes had to involve more discussion on Empathy, Respect, understanding our “triggers”, and creating Action Plans on how we can manage ourselves and others when we face situations that make us feel uncomfortable.”

Role Playing has changed: “In our Leadership classes we typically have role played how managers can address important matters with employees. Now, in many of our classes, we also role play how employees can sit down with their managers to discuss opportunities for change. At AMS, communication is a two-way street.”

Up-Skill matrix: “We are now in development of a new program called the ‘Up-Skill matrix’ that will allow our associates to view the skills necessary to move up in their careers. Signing up for the program gives our Leadership awareness of your interest, while also tracking with you the progress you are making on attaining the skills. We are launching the program on Inventory and Receiving Clerk positions, first at HQ, then other buildings, and then we will look to set-up other AMS career path positions.”

Paycom job registration: “We also have a new program being launched in Paycom that will allow people to register for positions at AMS they are interested in so that they can receive a message when those opportunities are available.”

90-minute lunch meetings: “Many attendees at the Diversity and Inclusivity Breakfast meeting felt that our changes would best be realized when ALL of our employees were engaged in the mission. To that end, we initiated 90-minute lunch meetings with all AMS Supervisors and above to share our journey and review the critical responsibility that our Leaders have in driving our success.”

Share our Journey: “A few of our Diversity and Inclusivity Breakfast associates have offered that they would like to share their stories of past struggles in hopes that we might better learn of the challenges they have faced. Our next Breakfast meeting in a few weeks will be an opportunity for the Leadership team to listen.”

Congratulations AMS on Keeping Your Promises!

Ken concluded his message with the following words: “I stand with you right now knowing we have miles to go and more progress to report but I am grateful that we are doing this together, and extremely confident that we will build a better company, one which will bring you pride in knowing that you helped get us to our destination, you made a difference in our journey.”

September 17, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #6

In last week’s safety blog we talked about transforming the AMS Advance My Skills Learning Center into a safe space with regard to virus exposure. We are now in the process of returning to the Workforce Development programs that are so important to us as a B Corporation.

AMS has a strong focus on supporting, educating and training our workforce, as we see our employees as key to our success as a fulfillment company. Our employees truly appreciate the opportunity to gain more skills, so this is important for morale as well.

This week we look into the reality of following all of the safety policies. What impact does it have on the employees, especially the requirement of wearing masks in the heat of summer?

Marco Pelaez, VP Operations, answered a question about health and talked about how AMS is staying cool:

“If some of our employees cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, we provide them with face shields so they can still be protected during these difficult times.

“Marco went on to say, “We know that wearing a mask on “hot days” is a challenge that our employees are facing this summertime. AMS went ahead and purchased lightweight breathable masks and provided them to each employe so they can feel more comfortable while working. Also, we set up a couple of EZ-ups in some of our facilities so they can go outside and enjoy their breaks and lunches.

“We’re making use of fans also. We provided all our warehouse employees with personal fans that they can wear around their neck so they can keep their faces cool, and we installed ceiling fans in our HQ lunch area to increase the air circulation downward so employees can feel comfortable taking their mask off while eating.”

When the question of employee morale came up, Carmen Kernek, Human Resources Director, responded:

“It is important to for AMS to keep a very safe environment for our employees, which we consider family, during these trying times. Their happiness and safety are extremely important to us. Morale has certainly been exceptional as it relates to the safety measures the organization has taken. The comments received from the employees have been extremely positive and appreciative of the consideration and efforts the company has demonstrated. New recruits are also extremely happy to hear, not only that we are hiring during these times, but maintaining such a high safety protocol for our employees.”

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

September 15, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #4

In this blog series we look into the purposes of various Certified B Corporations. B Corporations are defined as businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

AMS Fulfillment is proud to be part of the B Corp community of leaders that drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. We applied for certification and received it in December of 2017.

In February of this year our focus turned toward protecting employee health and preventing exposure to COVID-19. (AMS publishes a weekly safety blog outlining our response and the procedures that are currently in place.)

This week’s featured B Corporations are Skandinavisk, which is a natural body products company, S’well, a company that makes multi-use water bottles, and All Good, a company that manufactures skin care products. The following articles reveal how these B Corporations remain good for the world even in challenging times.

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Weathering COVID-19 with an Eye on the Storm Ahead
As Humanity Adapts to One Crisis, Let’s Not Forget the Bigger Challenges for a Sustainable Future

Four months ago, as the European coronavirus crisis reached its peak, I wrote a post with the message: “We didn’t come this far to only come this far.” Almost all our retailers had closed, our suppliers had closed, our office was closed, I was back at my kitchen table, and our small team was suspended, furloughed, fired, or desperately trying to save the company. “Normal” had been ripped away from us, and it suddenly looked like seven years of hard work were about to come undone by a giant black swan event. We weren’t alone.

Read the full article here.

Sustainability Champion S’well Ensures Worker Safety and Supply Chain Stability Amid COVID-19
With a Focus on Positive Impact, S’well Joins B Corp Community

Since its founding a decade ago with the goal of eliminating single-use plastic bottles, S’well has been guided by its mission to create positive impact for people and the planet. It recently formalized that commitment in March 2020 by becoming a Certified B Corporation, completing an assessment of its impact on workers, community, environment, and customers — the stakeholders it most affects. While gaining B Corp certification was a multiyear process for S’well, the fact that it happened as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everyday life around the world only reinforced the company’s commitment to sustainable living.

Read the full article here.

A Case Study in Regenerative Business
All Good Products CEO Shares Her Journey from Reluctant Entrepreneur to Leader of Company Protecting People and Planet

Working as a climbing guide and a massage therapist with a background in herbal medicine, Caroline Duell was all about connecting with nature. Through a garden she had installed on the farm she was helping run with her partner, Ryan Rich, in northern California, she developed a salve, All Good Goop, that she gave away to her clients to heal their skin. A local store owner who was helping her by providing a physical location for her products convinced her that she was indeed running a business. Duell and Rich soon set out on the road to find more local stores to carry their constantly developing line of goopy products. Despite Duell’s reluctance to become a business owner, All Good was born.

Read the full article here.

In future blogs we will continue to share articles about the outstanding efforts of B Corporations during this important time.

September 9, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #5

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, AMS had a great safety record of only one lost time injury in two and a half years. We created that great record because we focus strongly on safety, for 400+ employees, through continuous training and routine practices. Early this year, with the pandemic announcement, the safety practices took on new urgency and many challenges as we sought to protect our employees from exposure to the virus.

Our past four blogs have talked about the immediate steps AMS has taken with PPE, workstation distancing, sanitizing surfaces, restricting visitors, and even canceling the events where we came together for lunches and classes. The exception was OSHA safety classes, which continued with the help of our associates, our Safety Manager and management team.

In the last safety blog we talked about and showed images of the lunchroom dividers. Recently we located and installed dividers in the AMS Advance My Skills Learning Center. The classroom dividers are pictured below and the sanitizing process is pictured as well. In this protected classroom we will be returning to the workforce development programs that AMS is known and recognized for… and that is some good news for all!

Another one of the steps that we have taken is to not allow solicitations without an appointment, and restrict all but essential visitors. We started to do a temperature check on employees and everyone entering the premises in mid-March, (pictured below). At that time we informed all outside vendors that the temperature check and wearing a mask is required including UPS, FedEx, and LTL drivers. None of our visitors or delivery persons objected to the check, and so far we have not had to turn anyone away due to the temperature check. (AMS employees are asked to call in and stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms including fever.)

In our next blog we will talk about what AMS is doing to help our employees stay comfortable while following the COVID-19 policies and while wearing a mask in the summer heat.

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

September 8, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #3

In this series we take a look at how B Corporations approach doing business while holding to a standard of ‘being the change’. In other words, doing what is good for the world… which includes the people who are working for the business, the community, the environment, the clients or customers, and the owners or stockholders.

Can everyone profit if business is conducted in this way? B-Lab, the creators of the B Corporation believe so, and so do the thousands of businesses around the world that are part of the B Corp family.

The following information is gleaned from the B The Change website. The first article talks about what an investment company, Nia Capital Investments, is doing to serve the world as a B Corp. The second article is about how a beauty products company, Beautycounter, focuses on consumer safety and the environment. The third article talks about how Rivanna Natural Designs is helping employees and the community safely participate in voting in the US election.

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How to ‘Move Your Money Toward Justice
B Corp Nia Capital Investments on the Connections Between Investments and Racial Justice

Investing for social justice and environmental sustainability is one main reason Kristin Hull founded Nia Impact Capital, a Certified B Corporation in Oakland, California. Hull says she has long seen the value of business for good and profiting from purpose — finding effective business solutions for the environment as well as people — and first saw these benefits while growing up in a family business with worker-friendly practices. Read the full article here.

Brand Advocacy Drives Impact Throughout Supply Chain: How B Corp Beautycounter Builds Stakeholders Into Its Activism
Customers and Consultants Integral to B Corp’s Advocacy Efforts and Sustainability Goals

Launched with safety as its “North Star,” Beautycounter pursues its mission for safer personal care products by advocating for changes in state and federal laws and refusing to use harmful ingredients — with the ultimate goal of greater consumer safety and environmental sustainability. The Certified B Corporation relies on its strong network of sales consultants and loyal consumers, as well as a growing presence in retail stores, to increase its advocacy efforts through its growing brand awareness. Read the full article here.

How Businesses Can Help Employees Vote Safely
Ensuring Workers Have the Time and Tools They Need to Participate in the 2020 Election

At our Certified B Corporation, Rivanna Natural Designs, voting has a special significance. Since 2001, we’ve been creating jobs for recently arrived refugees. For almost two decades, our coworkers have been rebuilding their lives from scratch, learning English, passing their U.S. citizenship tests, and earning their right to vote. As members of a team that has always included individuals who have fled persecution, war, and violence, we take elections seriously. For us, voting is a privilege and a priority. Our additional priority, in this election, is health and safety. Read the full article here.

In future blogs we will continue to share articles about the outstanding efforts of B Corporations during this important time.

August 26, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #2

For AMS Fulfillment, being good for the world for the past few months has meant placing extraordinary effort into the safety of our employees and the changing needs of our clients. As an ‘essential business’ AMS Fulfillment is working at high speed to serve the needs of all of our people.

B Corporations are dedicated to the ideal of being good for the world, holding to a higher standard that does not put profit above people and the environment. The B Corporation community is made up of all types of businesses, big and small. In this series of blogs we will share information about what some of these businesses are doing to be of service in their own way.

The following three articles from the “B The Change” website demonstrate a very wide spectrum of service. The first is about the B Corp, Stonyfield Farm and how that company has dealt with the dairy market troubles due to COVID. The 2nd is about a business called Creature Comforts Brewery – a B Corp that hosts community organizations and organizes volunteers. The third is about Flock Freight; a company that is working hard on green shipping practices.

We hope you enjoy learning about the B Corp community.

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How Strong Relationships with Organic Farms Can Build a More Resilient Dairy Market

B Corp Stonyfield Farm Avoided Dairy Market Troubles During COVID-19 Through Sustainable Supplier Network

When COVID-19 emerged, the stay-at-home orders that closed most schools and many workplaces meant more of us were eating at home, ordering less at restaurants and buying more at local grocery stores. In the wake of this sudden change, many farmers who supply restaurants and schools faced a halt in orders and scrambled to find new outlets for their products. So even as shoppers flocked to grocery stores, the existing supply chain structure posed a distribution challenge and led to increasing food waste as some farmers had to destroy their crops, dump milk and throw out perishable items that couldn’t be stored or moved to new outlets in time. Read the full article here.

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Brewing a Successful New Idea: Customers Can Be Great Volunteers

Creature Comforts Brewery Develops a Model of Community Engagement

The brewery is in an old warehouse — a former car dealership — in downtown Athens, Georgia. In pre-coronavirus times, customers gather at a bar and big wooden tables. Every Wednesday, those tables host representatives of community organizations, from homeless shelters to a student enrichment program. They educate brewery patrons about their organizations’ work and involve interested customers in a volunteer activity: for example, making a blanket for the local homeless shelter or preparing sack lunches for underprivileged children. Read the full article here.

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The Missing Piece in Any Sustainable Supply Chain: Shared Truckload

B Corp Flock Freight Aims to Transform Freight Industry

America’s freight industry is in no position to ignore its impact on the environment and the greater good. Luckily, at least one logistics provider is committed to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. Flock Freight is transforming the $400 billion freight landscape by eliminating inefficiency and waste through green shipping practices. The company’s shared truckload shipping solution — which enables several shippers to share trailer space in one full semi-truck — helps businesses meet their freight needs without overconsuming natural resources. Read the full article here.

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In future blogs we will continue to share articles about the outstanding efforts of B Corporations during this important time.

August 20, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #1

At AMS, we speak often about being a B-Corporation, and our dedication to the ideal of being good for the world. During this crisis period, our responsibility has been to value the health and wellbeing of our employees, and respond to the rapidly changing needs of our clients. In our last communication we talked about the steps we have taken.

What does it mean to be a B Corporation? The B Corp does not need a law passed to require respect for employee safety and health, respect for the client or customer, and respect for the community and environment. This respect is inherent; it is a higher standard voluntarily undertaken by management and employees – to be a business that is good for the world; one that values the human being and our Earth.

As a B Corporation AMS is part of a large community, made up of all types of businesses. In this series of blogs we will share information about what our community is doing during this time. Please enjoy the following information, re-posted from the “Be The Change” website.

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When shutdowns closed schools, disrupted the economy, and revealed social inequalities, Certified B Corporations saw the need for innovation and action — in their communities, their workplaces, and their industries. They have stepped up to fill in, serving as an example of what stakeholder capitalism looks like in action.

How B Corps Fill the Gaps When Classrooms Are Closed

As COVID-19’s emergence last spring forced the closure of schools and child care centers across the U.S. and Canada, people young and old felt their absence in many ways — from education to mental health to food services. Learn more about Certified B Corporations that are stepping up to help fill some of the gaps for families as they head into the new school year. Read the full article here.

How Retail Stores Can Protect Workers

Athleta has faced a challenge familiar to many retail companies throughout the pandemic: How to keep stores open and workers employed while keeping employees and customers safe. On B The Change, read Christopher Marquis’ interview with Emily Allbritten, Athleta’s manager of strategic opportunities, about how the company’s B Corp values shape its business decisions during more routine times and amid the current economic challenges. Read the full article here.

COVID-19 Business Response Keeps Families in Mind: B Corps Adapt by Adopting and Adjusting Policies

COVID-19’s impacts range much deeper than the outbreak numbers, as nearly a third of the U.S. workforce has children at home. Many of those parents are, of course, also employees who must juggle work and family responsibilities that at times may seem impossible — especially for single parents, essential workers who cannot work remotely, and others with nontraditional schedules. Read the full article here.

How 1% Can Collectively Make a Difference for the Environment

In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet, starting a global movement to inspire organizations and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions through annual membership and everyday actions. Member companies pledge to give 1% of their total annual sales to environmental nonprofit partners. In 2019 alone, more than 3,000 members of the 1% for the Planet community spread among more than 40 countries gave over $27 million. Read the full article here.

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At AMS we want to build a stronger than ever foundation for a better world, and that involves communication. AMS Management is never too busy to listen and learn, and this too, is what it means to be a B Corporation.

August 19, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #3

In our previous blog we talked about how we accomplished work station distancing on our assembly lines and how we worked with our clients and they worked with us so there would be no loss in efficiency.

When the pandemic was first announced, one of the greatest concerns was contacting the virus through touching a surface. In this week’s blog we’ll cover the steps AMS has taken to sanitize surfaces and help employees clean and sanitize their hands.

Preventing Hand Contact

One of the first steps we took at AMS was to open up more bathroom facilities, and bring in portable “studio” grade bathroom trailers to allow less use of existing locations, and making it easier to keep all locations sanitized. We also placed air purifiers in all bathrooms. Another step we took immediately was to place additional hand washing/sanitizing stations, pumps and wipes in our buildings for convenient and frequent hand hygiene.

AMS hired a 3rd Party cleaning agency to first do a deep cleaning in each building, and then provide 2-3 people onsite at each building each day to provide incremental sanitizing and cleaning services, and we developed a checklist for all high-risk common touch areas that must get sanitized a minimum of 4x per day. Another safety step that we took immediately was to put a hold on returns processing so that packages returning from residences would be held for 72 hours prior to processing.

Throughout this process, from the early months until today, our employees and our clients have been grateful and very cooperative in implementing changes to protect lives. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, AMS had a great safety record of only one lost time injury in two and a half years, and thankfully our safety record during the pandemic has been excellent. With 400+ employees in the organization, we have had very few individual cases, and we are confident that they did not arise from within the workplace.

In our next blog we will talk about social and meeting spaces, shared meals, and working from home.

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

August 12, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #2

In our last blog we talked about some of the challenges AMS faced when it became clear that we needed to acquire and use personal protective equipment (PPE). At that time it also became clear that we needed to get our employees stationed at least six feet apart.

Work Station Distancing and Sheilds

In early March AMS put in place work station distancing, restructuring assembly lines to accommodate the 6’ rule. We also enforced the distancing rule during breaks and lunches.

Marco Pelaez, Vice President of Operations, talked about the process:

“We assembled two 20 footer electric conveyors together to apply the 6’ distance requirement, using only 12 people. We also advised our clients that we no longer were able to run two lines at the same time as we needed to keep the social distance and to keep our employees safe. We also asked our clients to get a longer lead time to complete all assembly jobs.”

When asked about work station barriers, Marco said: “One of our vendors sent us the link for the barriers and we purchased them right away.” Regarding any loss of efficiency, Marco said, “We did not lose any efficiency as our clients agreed to have a longer shipping window so it was no efficiency loss. Even though there had to be longer turn around times our clients sincerely appreciated the fact that we continued shipping and getting packages out despite the challenges we were facing.”

Marco concluded, “Safety is our number one priority. While quality and productivity are our goals, they will never take precedence over the safety of our employees. Our commitment extends from our executive management team to the entire AMS family. Every day we review the effectiveness of our efforts, and if needed we increase the safety measures and tools that keep our employees protected at work.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, AMS had a great safety record of only one lost time injury in two and a half years, and thankfully our safety record during the pandemic has been excellent. With 400+ employees in the organization, we have had very few individual cases, and we are confident that they did not arise from within the workplace.

In our next blog we will talk about installing sanitizing stations and providing additional bathroom facilities.

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

August 6, 2020

Contrats!! Director of Facilities & Director of VAS

Keith Echegaray, Director of VAS and Special Projects

Keith has been with AMS for over eight years, serving as Inventory/Receiving Clerk, Shipping Lead, Operations Supervisor, Asst. Operations Manager and Operations Manager.

His new role consists of working with all buildings with large VAS (Value Added Services) jobs as well as special projects. The special projects will include helping buildings launch new accounts coming on board with AMS. Keith will be helping establish the processes and efficiencies for these accounts. He is excited to work closer with the IT team to help bridge the communication gap between Operations, IT and Client Services.

Keith is a single father who enjoys traveling and taking his son camping, hiking and off roading (pre pandemic). He describes his dedication to his son and his work as “…pretty much my life in a nutshell.”

Marco Pelaez, Vice President of Operations had this to say about the importance of Keith’s position:

With Keith in his new position, it will allow AMS to introduce our new technology into the operations process, training key people and implementing new processes and procedures. Keith will also be managing and quoting all VAS (value-added services) jobs across all buildings. Keith has served AMS in many ways over the years, and we are excited to see him in his new position.

Mark Fese, Director of Facilities

Mark first came to AMS as temporary help to fill a maintenance helper position. When the temporary job ended, he was brought back and hired officially in 2013. One year later he was promoted to a Maintenance Technician, and two years later he was again promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. Ten months later he was promoted Facilities/Security Manager where he remained until this recent promotion to Director of Facilities in July of 2020.

Prior to his employment at AMS, Mark was a custom cabinetmaker for 15 years. He opened his own shop with a team of 15-20 employees in the Santa Clarita area until his Mother become ill in 2008, and he sold his portion of the business in order to take care of her. Mark has been married to his wife Sherilyn for nearly 33 years, and they have two grown children and five grandchildren.

About his new position, Mark said, “I’m excited to take on the challenges of my new role and work hard to ensure all facility systems improve making AMS a Safe, Organized, Clean and Enjoyable workplace for all AMS employees.”

Ken Wiseman, AMS Chief Workforce Development Officer, offered his words of appreciation:

We are so pleased to see Mark rerouted to a Director. His intense passion and acumen for solving our Security, Maintenance, and Facility challenges makes him an extremely valuable member of our AMS team.

July 30, 2020

Welcome to AMS: Tony Shepherd and Lisa Michelle Zeta

Anthony (Tony) Shepherd, Chief Financial Officer:

Chief Financial Officer is a vital executive position at any company. We are so pleased and fortunate to have Tony Shepherd join the AMS family.

In June of 2020, Tony joined AMS as our CFO. He came to us as a hands-on, results-oriented finance professional with over 29 years of financial management, consulting and investment banking experience. He has worked in numerous industries in phases from start-up to growth to turnaround and restructuring,

Tony is a seasoned finance executive with extensive experience in accounting, corporate finance, middle market investment banking/M&A, private equity, restructuring and turnaround, human resource management and information systems management. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Management, a B.A. in Business-Economics from UCLA, and is also a California CPA.

AMS CEO, Jay Catlin, had this to say about our new CFO:

I am very excited to have Tony on board. He brings a strong and diverse background in finance, with nearly 30 years of experience within a variety of industries, and 15+ of those years serving in the role of CFO. Most of Tony’s CFO experience has been with businesses that were majority-owned by private equity, like AMS. Tony is a friendly, high character individual who fits in well within the culture of AMS, and he’s excited to be part of a B-Corporation that is on a mission to Do Good while we do well as a business.

Welcome to the AMS family Tony Shepherd !!

Lisa Michelle Zeta, Employee and Operations Development Manager

Lisa came to AMS from Goodwill Southern California. In her role, she operated an America’s Job Center of California as the Program Manager. In that capacity, she partnered with organizations and companies in the community to provide economic advancement to individuals with barriers to employment. Lisa’s job was to oversee the youth, adult and business development programs, and in this role she worked with and came to know AMS.

Her job title at AMS is Employee and Operations Development Manager, responsible for linking AMS to County and Workforce programs that benefit our company and employees; programs that provide those in the community who are in need of a second chance to gain new skills, to join the workforce at AMS. In addition, Lisa will learn and manage the system that tracks all of the amazing training we offer our AMS community and showcase our B-Corp contribution.

Lisa describes herself as “…a fun, adventurous, people-loving gal, committed to make a difference in the community. Empathy and listening are my jam. I am married to Brent, my oak, who keeps me grounded. I have 4 grown kids, one entering Canyon High, and Charlie, our Jack Russel Terrorist.” She sums it up by saying, “I joined AMS because your heart to serve your employees and community at large align with my vision and values.”

Ken Wiseman, AMS Chief Workforce Development Officer, had this to say:

We have been working with Lisa for a few years now. In her role at Goodwill Industries as Program Manager, America’s Job Center of California, she was very involved in implementing County and State Workforce Development programs with AMS, the largest programs being our Apprentice and Pre-Apprentice programs. Her enthusiasm, passion for teaching and coaching, and experience in working with people that are looking for opportunities to grow make her an outstanding candidate for joining our HR team and the AMS family.

Carmen Kernek, Director of Human Resources, added the following:

Lisa’s position is very important to AMS as it will provide more focus on both employee and organizational development and programs. She is a bright addition to the team and compliments the team very well with her knowledge and expertise.

Welcome to the AMS family Lisa !!